Automatic current-reversing mechanism.



H. K. SANDELL.

AUTOMATIC CURRENT REVERSING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1914.

1,208,386. Patented De0.12,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

jiz 222724 021 Jig 1 03a ndZZ H. K. SANDELL.

AUTOMATIC CURRENT REVERSING MECHANISM.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I, 1914.

fizvenir' I I v UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY K. smart, OF CHICAGO, ILLTNOIS, ASSIGN OB TO HERBERT S. KILLS, OF

- CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOIATIC cmnm-nnvnnsme MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern! Be it known that I, He nz! a citizen ofthoUnited States, residing at Chica o, in the county of Cook and State of11 inois, have invented new and useful Improvements in AutomaticCurrent- Reversing Mechanism, of which the followin is a specification.I

y invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in automaticcurrent reversing mechanism, and is fully described and explained in thespecification and shown in theaccom'panying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a front elevation of m improved device; Fig. 2 is a section on inc 2of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is acircuit diagram of the magnet.

The present structure is particularly designed for constantlytransforming the current which may from time to time change itspolarity, into a current of constant direct1on. It is not a rectifier inthe sense that it is intended to transform an alternating current whichhas frequent reversals, but is rather intended for use where there is asource of current supply whose polarity may be changed from time totime, the changes being separated byconsiderable intervals. It wasinitiall devised for use in connection with a. recti er of my invention,a form of which is shown in my application filed March 3, 1914, SerialNo. 822,135. When that rectifier is started, while it will producedirect current, the current may flow in either direction. By interposingthe present structure in the direct current lead wires therefrom, thecurrent will necessarily flow always in the same direction. Fur- 40thermore, should the device get out of step for any reason, so as toproduce changes in the direction of the current flow, the present deviceis designed instantly to compensate for the change. In other words whilethe resent structure is not adapted for rectifying a rapidly alternatingcurrent, it will rectify a current with infrequent alternations. It isalso advantageous in that if used for supplying such circuits as have 50counter-electro-motlve force, such-as storage batteries, if the chargingcircuit be broken as by sto ping the charging dynamo, or rectifier, t edevice will break the circuit, so that the reverse flow from the battery55 will not take place. The means whereby Specification of LettersPatent.

K. SANDELL,

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

Application filed lay 1, 1814. Serial No. 835,845.

theseseveral objects are accomplished will become clear from thedescription of the structure. j

Referring to the drawings, 5 and 6 are line wires which supply thecurrent to be controlled by my novel device. It is to be understood thatthis is a current which may from time to time change its direction offiow. The line wire 6 is led to the termini of a series winding 7 and ashunt winding 8 on a compound wound electro-magnet' whose core isindicated by the character 9, and which is provided with auxiliarypolepieces 10 at the two sides thereof. The shunt winding is connectedby a lead 11 with the opposite line wire 5 so as to close the circuittherethrough. The electromagnet is thus energized by the shunt 'windingas long as current flows through the line wires 5 and 6, its polaritydepending upon the direction of current flow.

12 is a swin ing arm pivoted above the plane of the e ectro-magnetandcarrying contacts 13 and 14 which are connected by leads 15 and 16,respectively with the line wire 5 and a wire 17 which runs to theopposite terminal of the series winding of the electro-magnet from thatto which the line wire 6 is attached.

18, 19, 20 and 21 are four stationary contacts in position to engagewith the contacts 13 and 14 on the swinging arm 12 as the arm swingsfrom side to side. The contacts 18 and 20 are electrically connectedwith each other, as are the contacts 19 .and 21,

and the current leads from the controller,

or reverser, which are indicated in the drawings by the characters 22and 23, are respectively attached to the contacts 19 and 20. It willthus be seen that when the swinging arm is in the right-hand osition, asin Fig. 1, the line wire 5 is in e ectrical connection through the wire15, and the contacts 13 and 21 with the outlet lead 23, and the linewire 6 is in electrical connection through the series winding of theelectro-magnet, the wires 17 and 16, and contacts 14 and 20 with thelead-out wire 22. When the arm is swun to the left, however, the contact13 strikes the contact 18 while the contact 14 strikes the contact 19,thus reversing the connections and securing an electrical flow from thelead-in wire 5 to the lead-out wire 22, and from the lead-in this Howthe electro-magnet is energized by current flowing through its shuntwinding, and if the lead-out wires 22 and 23 are in communication, asthrough a translator of any sort, then current also flows through theseries winding of the electro-magnet in an obvious manner.

The swinging arm 12 carries a horse-shoe magnet 24 Whose poles lie onthe two sides of the core 9 of the electro-magnet and between the sameand the auxiliary pole-pieces 10. Now, it will be obvious that as longas the electro-magnet is energized by a current,

producing the desired polarity, the swinging arm will be heldpermanently in one position, one pole of the horse-shoe magnet beingattracted toward the core 9 and repelled by the adjacent pole-piece 10,while the other pole of the horse-shoe magnet will be repelled by thecore 9 and attracted by the adjacent pole-piece 10. Should the currentbe suddenly reversed, in the circuit-supplying the line wires 5 and 6,the polarity of the pole 9, and pole-pieces 10 will instantly reverse,and the horse-shoe magnet will swing to a symmetrical position on theopposite side, carrying with it the swinging arm 12 and reversing theelectrical connections as hereinbefore described, so that the directionof flow in the circuit supplied by the lead-' out wires 22 and 23 willremain constant.

The operation of the present device is, of course, entirely automatic,and so rapid that there is only a brief break in the circuit in thelead-out wires. But as heretofore stated, the action is not suflicientlyrapid to rectify an alternating current as ordinarily understood, but itdoes satisfactorily rectify occasional reversals of current flow in anentirely satisfactory manner. Furthermore, if the line wires 5 and 6 aresupplied by a device which may furnish current of either polarity, thenthe present device instantly adjusts itself and transmits only currentof predetern'iined polarity. It will also be seen that if the line wirecircuit is broken, there is no chance for a backward flow through thelead-out wires 22 and 23, as would occur if a storage-battery were beingcharged. In this case the swinging arm moves by gravity away from thestationary contact points immediately upon the break of the linecurrent, and the circuit cannot be remosses established until sufficientcurrent again flows in through the line wires to energize theelectro-magnet and draw the swinging arm to one side.

The foregoing description sets forth the general principles of theoperation, which I have not complicated by referring. to details ofconstruction.

Fig. 2 shows the details of two of the stationary contact points, whichit will be noted are mounted in barrels 25 and pressed outwardly bysprings 26, so that, when the swinging arm moves over, it findslaterally yielding contacts. v

lFig. 3 shows the details of the mounting of the swinging arm. 27 is asleeve mounted on a pin 28 carried by stationary brackets 29. The arm 12has a down-turned end which is secured to one face of the sleeve 27, andthe electro-magnet lies underneath the arm, surrounds the sleeve 27 andis held in place by a clamping-plate 30 secured to the said sleeve.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of theconstruction herein set forth, and therefore, by having specificallydescribed the same, I do not intend to be limited thereto, except aspointed out in the following claim in which it is my intention to setforth all the novelty inherent in the construction described, as broadlyas is permitted by the state of the art.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is Incombination, a pivoted arm, a horseshoe magnet carried thereby, anelectro-mag net having a central pole and auxiliary polepieces at thesides thereof whereby each pole of the horse-shoe magnet lies betweenthe pole-piece and-an auxiliary pole-piece of the electro-magnet,stationary pole-changer contacts and contacts to coiiperate therewith onthe swinging arm, feed wires of varying polarity, and lead-out wiresconnected to pole-changer contacts, and connections between thefeed-wires and the electro-magnet to change the polarity thereof withchanges in the feed wire circuit.

HENRY K. SAN DELL.

In presence of- N ELLIE B. DEARBORN, OTTILIE C. AvIsUs.

